Hey, friends, heyyyyyy. This has most definitely been quite the week and I can’t even express how much I’m looking forward to some time in the mountains (or some form of nature) this weekend. I know a lot of us are feeling a little cooped up and stressed right now, likely dealing with things we never really thought we would have to. I just want to say I’m sorry for whatever stress you’re going through and just know that even if you feel it, you’re not alone in all the madness. Please make sure to take some time for you and take care of yourself, whatever that looks like for you ✌🏼.
This last week and a half has really showed me how important having a strong community is. The amount of people I have checking in on me and performing random acts of kindness right now (shoutout to my Aunt Molly for those Legos- straight manna from heaven for a bored five year old!) has been seriously getting me through. Yes, I realize it hasn’t been that long and some people are going about business as usual right now...but please take this time to show how amazing you are and check in on your friends and family who’s lives are currently upside down due to: job loss, mental illness, income decrease, kids at home while having to work, pregnant, elderly, underlying condition....the list goes on ❤️. If you’re doing that, it’s appreciated more than you know.
SO, back to why you’re likely here, hiking. I’m really trying to maintain whatever sense of normalcy I can right now whilst working from home and attempting to keep a five year old occupied and (semi) educated. I know a big part keeping my status quo is going to be hiking for as long as I am able along with just trying to maintain a normal schedule despite it being anything but right now 🤷🏼♀️. So, needless to say, with everything going on I’m a little behind with writing this right now. But, over a week later, here we are for hike 21 at Rifle Falls State Park.
After the girls trip in Glenwood Springs I wanted to do a hike the next day but quite honestly wasn’t really looking for anything intense. And by not intense I mean equivalent to a gentle stroll. Maybe I was tired from hiking the day before and all the driving. Maybe I’d had a little too much wine the night before. Maybe both 🤪, who’s to say? Either way, I found my way to the easy hikes on AllTrails which leads me to Rifle Falls State Park.
It was about a 45 minute drive from Glenwood Springs to the park. Rifle Falls State Park is, obviously, a Colorado state park. It has a $9 entrance fee per vehicle unless you have state park pass. Honestly, if you live in Colorado and like to hike, I’d highly recommend ponying up to get the state park pass. The annual pass is only $80 and gives you access to Colorado’s 41 state parks. You can buy one at a state park or through their website at https://cpw.state.co.us/buyapply/Pages/ParksPassInfo.aspx. Go get you some.
The parking lot at the Rifle Falls trailhead is relatively small. It may have been due to the weather, but when I got there, I think there was one other car in the lot. The trailhead has a restroom and was surrounded by camping and picnic sites, if that’s your jam. There were some occupied campsites, but not many people out in the park. It started raining RIGHT when I pulled in the lot which, I’ll admit I wasn’t terribly thrilled about. Although it’s not ideal, after hiking in Costa Rica last year I learned to embrace the weather you’re given. Unless it’s intense wind...this is where I draw the line 😂.
The rain actually started to give up and turned into a light mist within a few minutes of pulling up (hooray!) so I laced up my hiking boots and set out to chase my waterfall. Okay, chase may be a bit of a stretch as you get to the waterfall within about a minute of leaving your car. This trail is listed on AllTrails as being 1.7 miles with 193 feet of elevation gain. I wandered a bit and it ended up being over 2 for me. The trail itself ranged from completely dry to walking on giant plates of ice. I managed to do the whole thing without spikes but there was honestly a portion where lazy Kristin should’ve really had them on. What can I say, that reach into the backpack sometimes seems like a real burden, note to self: do better ❤️.
Except for the very beginning, I had the trail all to myself. After the girls trip the day before I was definitely down for some introvert time and this hike was absolutely perfect for that. With the waterfall right there, I spent a fair amount of time checking it out before actually hiking. You can view it from the bottom, top, and behind, which I loved. The cave area was particularly neat. I love a good waterfall and was pretty grateful for this alone time just listening to the water. Soothing AF, people. If you haven’t, try it 🧘♀️!
After far too much time spent resetting, I decided to actually go on the hike which ended up being pretty pleasant as well. There are a lot of cool cave formations along the way and if you’re braver than me I’m sure you can probably go in them and explore. When you reach the halfway point of the hike there area opens up to two pond. I’m not a bird person but there were some pretty cool bright red and bright blue birds hanging out up there.
I ended up going back down the way I came up at the halfway point and then going up the stairs the opposite way on the loop to the top of the waterfall (confused? Me too). I couldn’t really tell you why I did this, but I think the reality of the long drive home set in and I wanted to spend more time exploring. In the opposite direction the stairs up to the top of the waterfall were extremely icy but manageable. I wouldn‘t really recommend doing the hike with small children or somebody who’s not comfortable with balance and heights in the winter, but I’m thinking this would be a very family friendly hike in the summer.
I couldn’t have asked for a better hike to end a really great weekend. I keep thinking about how much has changed in such a short time when I think about this hike and look at these pictures. Hikes like this are what is going to keep me sane during all this and I really hope each of you has something to help you do the same ❤️.
Stay safe out there, everyone. And until next time, happy hiking ❤️✌🏼🥾.
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